Semi-Joint

Five weeks down, five weeks to go with the Joint Forces Staff College course. Still enjoying it. Though August seems to be filled with exercise after exercise, each with "Purple" in the title to express how joint it is: Purple Guardian, Purple Warrior, etc. Someone found out that I play guitar and another classmate plays piano, so it was suggested we get together and play a tune in class someday. "Instead of an exercise?" I asked. "Purple...Skit Day?" "How about 'Purple Jam'?" Mickey offered.
That one was much better.
Scuttlebutt around the hooches and hallways is that we do more as a group outside of class than other seminars, too, so it's good we get along. Despite the standard group dynamic needling of those who do/say something dorkish.

Thursday we took two Gov't vans to Langley AFB, about thirty minutes away, to get a briefing from a Captain from the 27th Fighter Squadron, a unit that flies one of the first operational flocks of F-22A Raptors. Though most aircraft had been moved to another location due to runway repair, we were able to see a couple in a hangar with some panels removed and doors opened, crawling around on the floor, up into the cockpit, checking out all the neat curves and angles that contribute to its stealthiness. It's an incredible-looking plane. If you can actually see it.